Opening Of A New Masonic Hall At East Dereham.

strong effort have now secured a more suitable building in Norwich-street ( formerly known as the Mission Hall ) and adapted it for Masonic purposes . The building , which is brick and rubble stone , has been entirely remodelled under the supervision of Bro . W . W . Lake , P . M . 93 , P . P . G . S . of W ., who has been untiring in his efforts and given his valuable services entirely

gratuitously , has now at entrance two lobbies or anterooms 10 feet by six feet opening into an entrance hall six feet by six feet , which opens by folding doors into the main hall or lodge room , a handsome room 18 feet high by 27 by 25 feet , lighted by seven windows and at nig ht'b y a handsome pendant of 16 li ghts , embellished with Masonic emblems ( the work of Bro .

Howard , S . D . ) and four side brackets , and is warmed with hot water pipes running the entire length of the building . At the rear is a room 19 feet by six feet six inches for storing the lodge and chapter furniture ; a kitchen fitted with cooking range , copper , oven , sink , water taps , ' & c , also on the ground floor is a stone room , lavatory , w . c , & c , and on the second floor

( which can be approached by a separate entrance ) is a capital supper room , 23 feet by 19 feet , lighted by four windows and at night by two handsome chandeliers , the whole being arranged to meet either the wants of the lodge or suitable for . letting for concerts ,

lectures , & c . Wednesday was the day fixed for opening the above premises , when a very large gathering of the brethren of the province took place under the gavel of the W . M . of the lodge , Bro . Thos . Cranmer . Amongst those present were Bros . Hamon le Strange ,

P . G . D ., D . P . G . M . ; G . W . G . Barnard , P . G . Sec . ; Harvey , P . G . T . ; Col . Feilden , P . S . G . W . ; Gidney , P . M ., P . P . A . G . D . C , Treas . ; W . Smith , P . M ., P . P . A . G . P ., Sec ; Massingham , P . M ., P . P . G . S . B . ; Tench , P . M ., P . P . G . S . B . ; Haylock , P . M ., P . P . S . G . D . ; Martin , P . M ., P . P . G . O . ; Ransom , I . P . M . ; Skinner , S . W . ; Bantop , J . W . ; Howard , S . D . ; Rev . A . J . Alpo , Chap . ; Lake , P . M . 93 , P . P . S . G . W . ; Barnaby ,

P . P . G . O . ; F . Vincent , J . D . ; Green , I . G . ; and many others . Besides the four principal visiting brethren above-named we noticed Bros ; Geo . Baxter , P . M . 213 , P . P . S . G . W . ; A . King , P . M . 807 , P . P . G . D . C . ; W . ] . Stratford , P . M . 807 , P . P . J . G . D . ; C . H . Rust , W . M . 213 ; T . C . R . King , P . M . 213 , P . P . G . D .: G . Durndell , P . M . 213 , P . G . D . C . ; A .

Goddard , P . M . 1114 and 2237 , P . P . J . G . W . ; G . Theobald , P . M . 807 ; Rushmer , P . M . 1113 , P . P . A . G . P . ; T . Smith , P . M . 213 ; G . Plumstead , P . M . 1193 , P . P , G . S . B . ; Loynes , Sec . 2237 ; and many others . The brethren being assembled in the lodge room , the lodge was opened , and the Secretary having read the necessary dispensations authorising the removal of

the lodge , the minutes of the last regular meeting were read , put , and confirmed . Bros . Stimpson and Godley , candidates for the Second and Third Degrees respectively , being in attendance , were passed and raised to those Degrees in the usual manner , the work being most admirably done without a fault by the W . M ., assisted by Bro . Ransom , I . P . M . ( in the Third ) , and

officers , the ceremony being interspersed with a musical ritual , which was entirely new to many of the visiting brethren present , and met with their most hearty approval , their congratulations afterwards being very warm and sincere . At the banquet afterwards held , presided over by the W . M ., the usual loyal and Masonic toasts were submitted , and an enjoyable evening was spent in peace

and harmony . The greatest regret was expressed at the absence of Bro . H . J . Sparks , P . M . 996 , P . P . G . S . of W . The following telegram was forwarded during the evening from Grand Lodge , but was unfortunately not received until the following morning : " The Grand Officers and brethren assembled at Grand Festival offer hearty congratulations to Worshipful Master and brethren of the Sondes Lodge on the opening of their new Masonic Hall . —LETCH WORTH . "

The Craft Abroad.

The Craft Abroad .

SHANGHAI . . Roy al Sussex Lodge ( No . 501 ) . —At a meeting of this lodge , held at the Freemasons' Hall , on March the 20 th , Bro . Charles H . Dallas , P . D . G . M . Japan , presiding , a letter was read from Bro . R . F . Gould , P . G . D . ( Hon . Mem . ) , informing the brethren of the lamented ueceascofBro . SamuelRawson , P . D . G . M . China . Thelodge had been placed in mourning , and there was a large

attendance of members , the total number present being further augmented by the solicitude of many old residents in the Settlement , who had practically withdrawn from the active practice of Masonry , to pay a last sad mark of respect to the memory of Bro . Rawson . The following address was delivered from the chair : Before proceeding with the ordinary business of the evening , there devolves upon me the

painful duty of reminding you that , in compliance with 'he notice in the summons , we are met in mourning as a wark of respect to the memory of an illustrious Mason who nas been connected with our lodge ever since the day of its > rst meeting , 4 S years ago . As more than a quarter of a century has elapsed since R . W . Bro . Rawson ' s departure , were are but few Masons in Shanghai who had the

happiness of knowing him personally , indeed , I am the only member who has sat in this lodge with him and listened to excellent expositions of Masonic law and practice which , all £ ccasion called for them , he would deliver ; but 1 think J' Know and respect his name , and have looked with interest us p P ' raic > . which we are glad to keep hanging before ^ ' Commencing with our founder , Bro . Cooke , there may seen on the roll of the Royal Sussex Lodge the-names of thimt & * * worthy Masons , and we are g lad to init t ^ at the present time we have growing up

The Craft Abroad.

among us many brethren worthily following in the footsteps of their illustrious predecessors , but unquestionably the one great name that stands as pre-eminently the most distinguished of all on the long bright list , is that of our venerable brother who , now at a ripe old age has been summoned , as we humbly trust , to the place appointed for him in that Grand Lodge above where the world ' s Great Architect lives and reigns for evermore . I can give but a

meagre sketch of Bro . Rawson ' s long career , but such facts as I can recall will , I am sure , be of interest . He was initiated as far back as 1 S 41 in Calcutta in the Lodge Industry and Perseverance , No . 126 , now No . 109 , and appears , either there or during a visit to England , to have served a Wardenship , as we find him in Hong Kong in 1 S 45 proposed as a joining member at the first meeting of our lodge , and serving the following year as Master .

Afterwards both he and our lodge removed to Canton , and from there he gave the greatest assistance to the Zetland Lodge in Hong Kong , accepting the Mastership when the lodge was at a very low ebb , and in spite of the distance making the double journey every month to attend every meeting of his year of office . In iS 4 gthe Northern Lodge of China was started in Shanghai , and at the same time Bro . Rawsort was appointed Prov . G . M . of China . For several years he ruled

over the province with conspicuous zeal , ability , and success , but the great monetary panic which , in the beginning of 185 S , wrought havoc among so many of the good old China houses , numbered Blenkin , Rawson , and Co . among its victims , and R . W . Bro . Rawson resigned the office of Prov . G . M . In the meantime he had been active in other departments of Masonic work , and had founded the Celestial Chapter of Royal Arch Masonry , now attached to the

Zetland Lodge , but originally attached to our lodge and still bearing our number , and I learn from Bro . Thome that the founders of the Zion Chapter in Shanghai were greatly indebted to Bro . Rawson's cordial ( co-operation . In these years , too , he must have spent some time in London , as in my copy of our by-laws , which was newly printed when it was given to me in June , 18 G 3 , I find him described as a P . M . not only of our lodge and of the Zetland , but also of the Grand

Master s Lodge , No . 1 . To his influence , no less than to the exertions of Bro . Murray ( who a few years later succeeded R . W . Bro . Mercer in the distinguished chair that R . W . Bro . Rawson had vacated ) we owe it that our lodge , dormant since the end of 1858 , was resuscitated in the spring of 1863 , and . removed to this port . I had the privilege of being initiated in it a few weeks later , and I well remember the earnest interest displayed by Bro . Rawson in his

youthful brethren , . and I cherish . a grateful recollection of the sound Masonic knowledge imparted in his speeches . One of them , on " How to avoid using the black ball , " I have been glad to quote time and again . He had the gift of speaking clearly and forcibly , and was always listened to with respect . It was a great loss to Freemasonry in China when he took his final leave of Shanghai , and when in anticipation of his departure he tendered his resignation

at the the < nd of 1 S 63 , the lodge very properly recognised the exceptional services he had rendered during his igyears of membership , and made him an honorary member , and we esteem it a privilege to have had his name on our roll in that capacity for well nigh 30 years . In London he found fresh scope for his Masonic activity , and took a prominent part , in the working of the the Ancient and Accepted Rite , in which he held th ; 11 ° or

highest Degree . He did not , however , withdraw his interest from Craft Masonry . For years he was a most regular attendant at the Quarterly Communications of Grand Lodge , and was a member of a notable lodge composed almost entirely of men who have achieved distinction in the Craft . He was a liberal contributor to all our great Charities , but he delighted more particularly in the generous exercise of a Charity not heralded i n subscription lists . There is no

need , I think , to moralise on the lessons we may learn from this long life of Masonic labour , Charity , and loving kindness . We can all appreciate and admire it , and learn from it much that may aid us in humbly striving to follow in his footsteps , and help us in all our Masonic work to remember that we should consider the Craft first , our lodge next , and self last . It will be remembered by many that two of Bro . Rawson ' s sons have died out here ; but he leaves to mourn

his loss a widow , whose gentle kindness is still a pleasant memory to those who years ago had the honour of her acquaintance , and two sons , and , ! believe , adaughter , and while no words or action of ours can alleviate their grief , it will , I feel sure , be gratif ying to them to receive the assurance that , notwithstanding the long years of separation his memory commands the esteem and regard of every member of his old lodge . I , therefore , beg to move the

following resolution : "That the members of the Royal Sussex Lodge , in open lodge assembled , record with deep sorrow the loss sustained by the Craft at large , and by this lodge in particular , by the death on the 22 nd January , 1 S 93 , ot the R . W . Bro . Samuel Rawson , the first Provincial Grand Master of China , who was proposed as a joining member of this lodge at its first meeting in Hong Kong on the 3 rd April , 1845 , served as Worshipful Master in 1 S 4 G ,

and has been held in honour by its members for nearly halfa-century ; and , further , that a copy of this resolution , together with a suitable letter of condolence , be forwarded to the widow of the illustrious Mason whose loss we now deplore . " The motion having been duly seconded , was carried by acclamation ; and , by desire of the brethren , the VV . M . in the chair undertook to write to Bro . R . F . Gould , thanking him for the letter which he had written to the lodge .

Grand Masonic Centenary Ball At Gibraltar.

GRAND MASONIC CENTENARY BALL AT GIBRALTAR .

The Worshipful Master and brethren of the Lodge of Friendship , No . 278 , E . C , celebrated their centenary on April 14 th by giving a grand ball at the Assembly Rooms , which was honoured by his

Excellency the Governor and the Hon . Lady Nicholson , the Chief J ustice , Capt . Lake , R . N ., Senior Naval Officer , and Mrs . Lake , and about 250 brethren and their guests . The W . M ., Bro . Lieutenant T . F . Cooper , P . M .

and the brethren in Masonic clothing , received the guests at the grand staircase as they arrived . The ball opened with a procession of Masons , who received the Governor with Masonic honours , after which dancing began to the strains of the string

Grand Masonic Centenary Ball At Gibraltar.

band of the East Lancashire Regiment , and was kept up with great spirit until after four o ' clock in the

morning . The W . M . was supported by Bros . A . Morasso , S . W . ; Capts . W . Jones , ] . W ., P . P . G . Org . Cambridgeshire ; Lindsay-Roberts , P . M ., P . G . M . Scotland ; Stevens , P . M . ; and Harrison , Lancashire Regiment ; Lieut . Haywajd , Army Service Corps ; and Freyone , P . M ., Hon . Sec . The floor was in

splendid order , as well it might be , the room having been used for dancing four nights in succession . The room was most beautifully decorated by means of flags , flowers , armoiJr , and a great number of Masonic banners and escutcheons of every size , colour , and design . The staircase and sitting-out rooms were also admirably and most tastefully arranged .

An excellent supper was provided by Mr . Montegriffo , of Esmeralda fame , and a capital arrangement existed by which no more were allowed in the room at a time than it would comfortably hold , thus avoiding all crowding . The W . M . led the way to the supper with Lady Nicholson , and Sir Lothian Nicholson

escorted Mrs . Cooper , the procession leaving the ball room for the supper room to the tune of the " Entered Apprentice , " sung by the band . The many military and naval uniforms and brilliant Masonic insignia set off well the handsome toilettes of the ladies , and gave the ball a very bright and animated appearance .

The Worshipful Master and brethren are to be congratulated on the great success that attended their most hospitable efforts , a success that could in no way be surpassed . Amongst the brethren several old Woolwich faces

were noticed—Bros . Capt . A . J . Lindsay , Lieut . F . J . Hunter , Capt . Vigne , R . A ., Hunter , Lieut . E . F . Delaforce , R . A ., Col . and Mrs . Bally , Major Purvis , Capt . Lardner Clarke , and several other Royal Artillery officers .

We regret that the W . M . elect , Bro . Major R . F . Rankin , was not present , owing to being laid up with a fractured leg .

Obituary.

Obituary .

BRO . THOS . LAWLER . We regret to announce the death of our esteemed Bro . Thos . Lawler ( late of the Moira Lodge , No . 92 ) at the ripe age of 75 . He was a basso vocalist of exceptional quality . At the age of 19 he entered the musical profession , and held , during a career of over 50 years , several high church appointments . For some

years he sang at Moorfields Chapel , after that at the Foundling Hospital , which appointment he resigned about 35 years since for that of Vicar Choral , Westminster Abbey , and for nearly the same length of time he was one of the Gentlemen of her Majesty ' s Chapel Royal , St . James's . With his ponderous voice he has charmed many and many a congregration in tones- of

praise to the Great Architect of the Universe in such fine old anthems as " I have surely built thee an house , " " The Wilderness , " fV . e , Our late Bro . Lawler held , as is not generally known among the rising generation , in the days when Sims Reeves began his career , and for long after , the highest position in London and the provinces as a singer in oratorio , and

during his remarkable career he saw the coming and the disappearing of hundreds of aspirants in the vocal art . He was well known for nearly half a century amongst the Craft , having been initiated a member of the Moira Lodge , No . 92 , on November 27 th , 1849 . On his retirement , five years ago , he went to reside in Paris , but in the early part of this year , however , he

returned to England to live , feeling very unwell , but very soon after his arrival a serious change in his health became apparent . A physician was consulted , and the verdict was heart disease . For some weeks our late brother battled against the malady , which , however , terminated in dropsy , and after a few weeks' suffering ,

during which , although dying day by day , his patience never forsook him , he peacefully expired on the 16 th inst ., surrounded by all his family . His loss will be deeply regretted by all who knew him . He is to be interred at Nunhead to-morrow ( Saturday ) at five o ' clock .

The first summer exhibition of the Royal Botanic Society was held in the Regent ' s Park Gardens on Wednesday . The weather was most unfavourable , but , in spite of this drawback , there was a largeattendance , who were charmed with the floral display , and at the same time greatly enjoyed the music so excellently discoursed by the bands of the ist and 2 nd Life Guards .

MASONIC SERVICE IN Ci-ERKENWELL .- ^ -On Wednesday afternoon , the 10 th inst ., a special service was held in the parish church of St . James ' s , Clerkenwell , in aid of the Masonic Charities . There was a very numerous attendance of brethren from all parts of the metropolis , and satisfactory arrangements were made for the brethren of the several lodges represented to clothe in the vestry and lobbies of the church , full Masonic clothing having been

donned for the occasion . The Most Worshipful the Grand Master granted a dispensation applied for on behalf of the Crusaders' Lodge , No . 1 G 77 , the Clerkenwel 1 Lodge , No . 1 G 94 , and the Great Northern Lodge , No . 1237 , on the distinct understanding that no Masonic clothing was worn outside the precincts of the church . Bro . the Rev . J . H .

Rose , M . A . ( vicar of the parish of Clerkenwell ) , W . M . of Crusaders' Lodge , and Chaplain of the Clerkenwell and Great Northern Lodges , preached an appropriate sermon . There was a very large assemblage of the general public in the galleries , who witnessed the interesting and unusual scene , unprecedented in the history of the old parish church .